VIDEO: Utah Senator Eats Weed Gummy Bears

During a recent weekend vacation to Nevada, incumbent Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis ate marijuana gummy bears to understand the effects of the plant better. “I thought it was about time that at least one legislator knew a little bit about marijuana before we changed all the laws,” Dabskis said outside of NuLeaf dispensary in Las Vegas.

The eccentric Senator posted a five-minute video to his Facebook account that showed him wrestling with the childproof packaging before grimacing as he ate one of the gummies. In his post, Dabakis noted his status as a ‘marijuana virgin’ and that he was interested in knowing the effects of the edible before a critical vote on medical marijuana in his home state.

“I have to admit, somewhat shyly, I have never tasted, smoked, eaten or shot up marijuana in my life.” (As a long-time marijuana user, I can also confirm that I have never ‘shot up’ marijuana). The earnestness of the Senator to step outside his boundaries and use real-life experience to help him better understand the ramifications of using marijuana is refreshing. It signals a fundamental shiftin the political debate surrounding legalizing cannabis.

The Senator’s actions drew rave reviews from posters on Facebook. Commentators championed the Senator’s experiment with one poster suggesting that State level employees would lose their job for doing the same: “What you just tasted could cost a state employee their job!” Another Facebook user suggested the Senator eat some avocado toast to help the THC kick in: “You should eat some good fats like avocado toast that will activate the THC and you get to eat avocado toast.”